PAGE SIX
THE PIEDMONITOR
SEPTEMBER, 1965
How Safe Is Flying?
One of the major factors pre
venting many prospective air
travelers from making their
first flight and subsequently
using the airlines as a convieni-
ent and frequent means of trans
portation is that old bugaboo—
fear. It is easy to see why the
uninitiated consider flying risky
and even downright hazardous.
They pick up their morning
papers and read via bold, front
page headlines that somewhere,
perhaps halfway across the coun
try, 68 persons were killed in
an air crash.
They do not see any articles
assuring them that 193,200 per
sons rode through the air safely
that day. Nor does the article
include how many days, weeks,
or months have passed without
a single air fatality. Nor does
the article mention the 119 per
sons who die each day in auto
mobile accidents.
There are two principal rea
sons for fear of flying. One is
awe of the new or unknown.
And, much as airplanes have
become a way of life to those
in the airline business, air trav
el is still an infant to many. It
still happens that when one
says he is going to fly, friends
seem to think he’s embarking
on a daring adventure. It is also
true that 80 per cent of the
American people have yet to
set foot on an airplane.
The other major fear factor
is publicity. Simply because
“good news is no news”, the only
aspect of air travel which re
ceives headline coverage is the
macabre scene of the fatal air
crash.
It is up to the people in the
airline industry to change the
picture of air travel from one
of danger to one of understood
safety, first by abolishing their
own fears and then by letting
their confidence in the every
day occurrence of air travel
penetrate to others. The best
way to overcome fear is to in
crease understanding. '
A hard look at the facts re
veals that flying is safer than
climbing a ladder, riding in an
automobile, owning firearms,
having poison in the house, or
participating in a water sport.
These are statistics. They are
good enough for the insurance
companies, who have reduced in
surance rates by one half since
the beginning of air travel.
Where else but an airline count
er could you purchase $10,000
worth of life insurance for only
25 cents? Considering the
amount of time pilots and stew
ardesses spend in the air (mini
mum average is about 80 hours
a month), one would think that
their insurance rates, if the
American public’s fear is justi
fied, would be extremely high.
Not so. These flying profession
als pay exactly the same insur
ance rates as the corner grocer,
the barber, or the lawyer who
lives next door. Insurance com
panies, as everyone knows, do
not, cannot, afford to make in
accurate, or even lenient guess-
INT'ers, Join Pecos Pete,
Old Rebel For Local T.V. Show
INTers recently enjoyed a visit
from area television personali
ties. The Old Rebel and Pecos
Pete of Greensboro mosied over
to the Smith Reynolds Airport
to shoot some pictures and round
up a story on Piedmont Air
lines.
The Old Rebel, who is George
Perry off screen, and Jim Tuck
er, better known to the kids as
Pecos Pete, were working on a
series for their program, “The
Magic World of the Old Rebel.”
The obliging home office cor
ralled an F-27, Audrey Black put
on her stewardess duds and the
photographer was ready to shoot
a few scenes of passengers board
ing, in flight and unboarding,
all in the hanger lot.
The passengers making their
T.V. debuts included everybody
from Turby to Miss liinda Crom
er, one of our clerks. And there
were kids, too; Mrs. James
(Betty) Fulp brought her two
children Jeff and Sherry. The
Old Rebel was convinced they’d
had a good time. When Betty
was ready to take them back
to school they were quite defin
ite about not wanting to leave.
Following the fake flight on
the F-27, the Old Rebel and Pecos
Pete saddled up on one of our
Beech planes to get some aerial
views of Winston-Salem. Don
Britt, Bonnie Hauch and Betsy
Winstead met them at the termi
nal for lunch. Local autograph
hunter, for her children of
course, Evelyn Fabrizio dropped
by.
After the “So long podners”
were said, T.V. went back to its
station, WFMY in Greensboro,
and INTers went back to work.
t
i'..
I liii
* w’ I
The camerman from WFMY-TV seems satisfied with Audrey's smile as
she greets the Old Rebel and his co-star, Pecos Pete.
es.
The skeptic, however, the man
who trusts neither statistics nor
insurance company judgement,
must be convinced by showing
him most of his major fears are
unfounded. And what does he
fear?
He fears that mechanical fail
ure will occur while he is in the
air. But does he know that, for
instance, each Piedmont plane
is inspected several times a day
in a turn around visual check?
At the beginning of each day’s
flight, each plane is given a
thorough visual safety inspec
tion which includes, among other
things, checking brakes, oil level,
and landing gears. Every 200
hours flying time warrants a
thorough operational check;
every 500 hours, a complete
overhaul. And every 15,000
hours, a Piedmont plane is com
pletely stripped and rebuilt.
In addition, records are kept
of each functioning part of each
airplane. A constant watch is
kept of the time the part has
been in use and the part is re
placed as soon as it has served
its safe flying time. As a special
check each month Piedmont
takes an average of 600-700
x-rays of such parts as the out
er and center wings, the fuel
cell, and the breastplate.
He fears the wings may fall
off. But does he realize that,
although constructed to move
up to nine feet out of position,
the wings will never, even in
the most turbulent weather be
called upon to give more than
two feet in either directon?
He fears that all air crashes
are fatal—no survivors. But
chances of survival are increas
ing each day. No area of air
safety other than preventing
mid-air collisions is receiving
more attention than surviving
an emergency.' Specifically,
among other measures, the air
lines are going to greater
lengths to lessen the chances of
fire after impact. They are in
stalling improved evacuation
chutes, better marked evacua
tion exits, and stronger seats.
He fears a mid-air collision.
Yet the last fatal collision was
five years ago. Odds against air
collision are one in four million.
Compare that figure to the odds
against having a fatal automo
bile collision.
He fears the incompetence of
the man flying the plane. It
takes as long (about 8 years)
for a pilot to qualify for com
mand of an airplane as it does
for a doctor to qualify for prac
tice. No matter how long he
remains a pilot, his flying ability
and his capability for command
are tested twice a year. He
must also go through recurrent
training every twelve months.
As a final point, one may ex
pect to fly 435,468,000 miles
aboard a U. S. scheduled air
liner before being fatally in
jured. This is about 25,615 times
around the world. Or, in other
words, your chances of safely
completing an airplane trip are
about 99.983 per cent.”
Happy Birthdays
Congrats
25 YEAR PIN
Milton F. Fare, Vice President-
Finance, INT Aug. 6
15 YEAR PIN
William G. Robertson, Jr., Cap
tain, ILM, Aug. 16
Lawrence D. Wall, Lead Agent,
EWN, Aug. 16
Fred Kozak, Captain, ECA, Aug.
21
Harold L. Warner, Director-
Flight Services, INT, Aug.
28
10 YEAR PIN
Jane Charlene Griffith, Chief
Agent, CVG, Aug. 1
Ben Kennedy, First Officer,
ILM, Aug. 1
James L. Martin, Chief Agent,
ATL, Aug. 1
Howard T. Robbins, Mechanic
Specialist, INT, Aug. 1
Ralph Van Shipton, First Offi
cer, ILM, Aug. 1
Robert Paul Gilbert, Agent,
SDF, Aug. 8
Ralph W. Evans, Utility Service
man, ROA, Aug. 15
Jimmy M. Fouts, Lead Agent,
DCA, Aug. 16
Katherine H. Fishel, Agent,
DCA, Aug. 17
Louise Christenbury, Secretary,
INT, Aug. 19
Iona Mae Carr, Agent, ROA,
Aug. 20
Helen Hull, Prod. Control Clerk,
INT, Aug. 29
Oswarld Halsey, Dist. Sales Mgr.,
DCA, Aug. 29
Donald M. Vance, Agent, ROA,
Aug. 29
Frances Dresser, Lear Agent,
LYH, Aug. 30
5 YEAR PIN
Don Lee Johnson, Mechainic
Specialist, INT, Aug. 1
Wilham W. Pearman, Jr., Sta.
Agent, DAN, Aug. 1
Faye Evans Plott, Sr. Steno.,
INT-FB, Aug. 1
James Larry Hester, Jr. Clerk,
INT-FB, Aug. 2
George A. Scherer, Jr., Agent,'
BAL, Aug. 7_
Robert Lee Nunnery, Agent,
FAY, Aug. 9
Genevieve F. Fincher, Agent,
TRI, Aug. 10
Clayton L. Brooks, Agent, INT,
Aug. 16
Guy N. Mowbray, Agent, ROA,
Aug. 16
Barbara S. Whitaker, Communi-
cationist, INT, Aug. 16
Lacey C. Woodcock Jr., Flight
Attendant, ILM, Aug. 16
C. K. Carter, F/0, ATL 1
B. N. Evans, GSB 1
J. K. Gray, INT 1
D. L. Odum, Div. Chief Capt.,
ORF 1
T. E. Snow, INT 1
C. A. Dunn, INT 2
J. R. Formby, Jr., ATL 2
J. B. Russell, INT 2
Virginia Shackelford, FAY 2
J. D. Whidden, ORF 2
D. K. Carlyle, SDF 3
S. R. Collins, GSB 3
C. T. Foster, F/O, DCA 3
C. L. Harrell, INT 3
J. W. Kinnimon, INT 3
Ella M. Lanier, CLT-C 3
S. H. Logan, INT 3
W. J. Moriarty, DCA 3
E. J. Thurber, Jr., Capt., ATL .... 3
Bobby Walls, ATL 3
R. C. Abshire, CRW 4
R. W. Lay, ATL 4
R. E. McKinney, IN T 4
T. A. Meredith, DCA 4
K. A. Sallies, F/O, ATL 4
Iona M. Carr, ROA 5
C. E. Moyer, ROA 5
C. F. Wlesener, INT-FB 5
H. L. Gordon, INT G
D. T. Hyatt, ORF-FB 6
E. L. Jayne, DAN (i
Jackie J. Light, DCA 6
P. F. Pitts, INT-FB 6
G. M. Smith, ISO 6
S. B. Ellis, F/O, ATL 7
W. R. Gordon, INT-SC 7
W. B. Nester, ROA 7
D. M. Vance, ROA 7
R. J. Brandon, Sta. Mgr., INT-F .. 8
H. C. Richardson, PHF 8
R. G. Russell, INT 8
R. H. Wampler, ROA 8
Marylin R. Eastes, DCA 9
E. S. Gibbs, Capt., INT 9
Pearle P. Grimmett, ROA-FB .... 9
G. W. Hauser, INT 9
W. F. King, INT 9
J. R. Morgan, F/A, ROA 9
P. W. Swaim, INT-M 9
Wilma Cook, INT 10
G. D. Edwards, ROA-M 10
Sherrianne Gillenwater, Stewardess,
ORF 10
C. L. Gray, Jr., RIC 10
R. R. Griffith, F/O, INT 10
Gayle Grygo, Stewardess, INT ....10
G. D. Smothers, Jr., F/A, ATL .. .10
W. H. Allen, Sta. Mgr., ISO 11
E. E. Benton, ILM 11
H. W. Butner, INT-FB 11
D. L. Caudle, F/A,ILM 11
A. J. Page, Capt., ILM 11
D. G. Sutphin, INT 11
C. O. Walters, SHD 11
B. R. Barnes, F/O, ILM 12
T. L. Brown, INT-A 12
Kathryn Spainhour, INT 12
R. M. Stuphin, INT-P 12
J. H. Taylor, INT 12
R. B. Bennett, BLF 13
F. C. Carroll, ROA 18
D. L. Hayes, INT 13
H. N. Holleman, F/O, ORF 13
Margaret A. Pequignot, CUG ...13
C. F. Meacham, Capt., ILM 14
C. B. Morris, DCA 14
M. J. Cigliano, INT-FB 15
K. B. Miller, INT 15
T. W. Roberts, INT 15
L. G. Brown, INT 16
R. E. Kendig, DCA 16
J. L. Smith, INT-OC 16
W. B. Johnson, INT-FB 17
M. D. Marion, FAY 17
D. R. Sizemore, INT 17
R. C. Williams, INT 17
F. E. Woodruff, MBC 17
M. A. Blythe, EWN 18
R. R. Brown, Div. Chief Pilot,
TVS 18
R. E. Bullard, INT-F 18
J. H. Hill, INT-X 18
W. O. Radford, HSP 18
R. C. Rothrock, INT 18
R. E. Saunders, INT-M 18
Joyce Sharrett, INT 18
H. L. Baum, ORF 19
L. A. Beggs, ROA 19
C. L. Brooks, INT 19
D. E. Carpenter, DCA 19
T. C. Conrad, F/O, INT 19
Betty T. Hampton, INT 19
C. L. Martin, F/O, TYS 19
W. H. Smith, INT 19
L. I. Van Loan, ORF 19
Barbara A. West, Stewardess,
ROA 19
G. A. Brittain, INT-FB 20
R. R. Burke, INT 20
A. M. Chandler, INT .20
J. T. Hall, INT-FB 20
Doris M. Hardison, Stewardess
ILM 20
N. E. Hase, ATL 20
E. L. Lee, ECG 20
D. G. Moles, Jr., INT 20
L. G. Redden, Jr., ORF 20
J. E. Shaw, FAY 20
B. R. Talbert, AVL 20
W. E. Walker, OHO .20
M. O. Everhart, INT-C .....21
Evelyn Fabrizio, INT-F 31
G. T. Hutchinson, ROA 21
R. S. Jackson, INT 21
H. W. Kelly, INT 21
L. W. McNames, Dir. Flight Stand
ards, INT 21
R. V. Moore, Sta. Mgr., GSO 21
C. C. Kiger, Sta. Mgr., ECG 22
B. G. Linn, LYH 22
W. C. Matheis, DCA 22
R. L. McAlphin, Dir. of Schedules,
INT 22
T. F. Sizemore, INT-M 22
J. H. Curtis, ATL 23
G. W. Ketner, M-INT 23
R. S. Macklin, INT 23
R. L. Martin, ROA ; 23
A. W. Almond, ROA-M 24
Sandra W. Bennett, FAY 24
J. R. Johnson, DCA 24
J. D. Samples, INT 24
A. S. Wingfield, INT 24
J. Z. Christenbury, INT 25
J. A. Harris, INT 25
Sylvia A. Reid, INT-A 25
Susan Blankenship, ROA 26
L. W. Cline, RMT 26
Judith A. Cocekham, INT-A 26
G. R. Griggs, INT 26
Frances Hand, INT 26
H. M. Wooten, INT 26
J. T. Burger, SDF 27
J. R. Duggins, INT .....27
J. W. Gillespie, INT-M 27
R. M. Iden, DCA 27
P. P. Jones, Div. Sta. Supervisor,
ILM 27
E. R. Pope, FAY 27
S. R. Poston, INT 27
Leona L. Queen, Stewardess,
ORF 27
L. A. Clyburn, FAY 28
F. R. Foster, Jr., CVG 28
R. A. Greenlaw, SHD 28
D. R. Moore, CRW 28
R. T. Pardue, INT 28
J. A. Rehder, ROA 28
Barbara Sasala, DCA 28
D. M. Shanks, Sta. Mgr., DCA ....28
Deanna L. Tepe, CVG 28
W. H. Walker, INT 28
B. R. Britt, ATL 29
W. B. Haithcock, INT-C ... 29
E. H. Land, INT-^ 29
L. B. Barwick, ISO 30
K. W. Byrd, ISO 30
C. E. Collins, ROA 30
G. A. Ficke, CVG 30
Margaret M. Franklin, ROA 30
A. L. Huddleston, ILM 30
Sandra J. Keeys, Stewardess
INT 30
I. W. Pope, INT 30
H. A. Vestal, INT 30